(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an Aster glehni extract, fractions thereof and the active compounds isolated therefrom, which are effective for the treatment, prevention and improvement of hyperuricemia or gout.
(b) Background Art
Hyperuricemia or gout is induced as the intake of uric acid increases due to westernized diet and the uric acid is not normally degraded in the body. The incidence of hyperuricemia or gout is increasing gradually as the intake of alcohols, animal viscera and seafood increases. It is reported that hyperuricemia or gout can increase the incidence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc.
Gout occurs frequently in men in their 40s to 50s. However, due to the recent change in diet, the age of prevalence is gradually decreasing. It can occur easily in those who take immunosuppressants for a long time after organ transplantation, those who take diuretics for a long time and women of childbearing age. The currently used drugs for treating gout, allopurinol, benzbromarone, sulfinpyrazone and probenecid, were developed in 1950s and 1960s. Among these, allopurinol is the best known drug for gout treatment but there are concerns about hypersensitivity syndrome, which can be lethal, in addition to interstitial nephritis, renal disorder, hepatotoxicity, vasculitis and skin rash. Although benzbromarone is the most potent drug clinically used in the treatment of gout, its use is restricted because of severe hepatotoxicity. Although sulfinpyrazone and probenecid have been used until recently, they are known to cause renal failure.
As described above, it is thought that the direct cause of gout is the increase in uric acid. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have researched to develop a drug of natural origin for treating gout, which is substantially effective in decreasing uric acid.
While searching for various natural products to develop a drug that exhibits potent effect of reducing uric acid, the inventors of the present invention have found out that Aster glehni has remarkable antiinflammatory, anticonvulsant, sedative or sleep-inducing effects. The excellent uric acid decreasing effect of Aster glehni has never been reported.